Pneumonia
by whumpangstfluffrepeat
Summary: Hiro catches pneumonia and Tadashi does his best to take care of him. With a few complications...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is my first ever fanfic that I've published. It's in an au where Tadashi didn't die and they're both going to SFIT. No slash, just brotherly love. Enjoy!**

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_Cough, cough._

Hiro Hamada turned onto the street that the café was on, coughing into his fist as he trudged through the snow. He'd better not let Tadashi hear him cough or his overprotective big brother would think Hiro had caught something.

The fifteen-year-old boy had stayed after school to work in the lab and had lost track of time. It was nearly 9 at night now, and he knew Tadashi would be worrying when he finally arrived home. Tadashi had ridden his moped home earlier, leaving Hiro to take the trolley when he finished working. Aunt Cass was out of town and would be for the next week, on some business trip a few states away.

Stepping up to the café's front door, Hiro stomped his feet to free his boots of snow before entering the shop, the bell ringing as he closed the door.

Walking past the café counter, Hiro pulled his hat and coat off as he reached the stairs that led up to their living quarters.

"Hiro? Is that you?" a voice called down the stairs.

"Yup," Hiro called back as he hung his coat on a hook by the door and then sat down to pull off his boots.

Tadashi appeared at the top of the stairs. "Where have you _been_? I've been worried sick!"

"Jeez, Tadashi." Hiro dropped his boots and turned to walk up the stairs. "I just lost track of time. I was getting a lot of work done, and didn't realize how late it was getting. No need to go ballistic on me."

Tadashi sighed and ruffled his brother's already messy hair as Hiro reached the top of the staircase. "Not going ballistic, just thought you could've gotten lost in this storm." He nodded toward the window, where snow blew past in strong gusts.

"It's one block from the trolley stop. Not even a baby could get lost, even in that." Hiro rolled his eyes at his brother before moving forward to climb the next set of stairs.

"Well then maybe-" Tadashi cut himself off as he noticed where Hiro was heading. "Where are you going? Don't you want some dinner?"

"Um..." Hiro hesitated. He really just wanted to climb into bed and sleep- he was exhausted from his long day, and, well, to tell the truth, he hadn't been feeling great since yesterday - maybe he really _had_ caught something - but Tadashi didn't need to know that.

"I'm just a little tired," Hiro said. "I think I'll go to bed. Besides," he continued when Tadashi opened his mouth to protest, "I had a few snacks at the-" A cough came on before Hiro could stop it. He tried his best to turn and smother it with his sleeve, but it was no use.

The worried expression that had just been leaving returned to Tadashi's face and his hand shot up to check Hiro's forehead. "Are you feeling alright? Did you catch something?"

Hiro yelped and dodged Tadashi's hand. "Tadashi! Again with the overprotectiveness! I'm _fine_. It was _one_ _cough_." Hiro shot his best stern look at Tadashi. "Jeez."

It was Tadashi's turn to roll his eyes at his younger brother. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "All right, all right. Just want to make sure you're okay. You're not exactly famous for taking care of yourself, you know."

Hiro grinned sheepishly at memories of attempting to hide everything from minor scratches to broken bones from his brother, all throughout their years growing up. Tadashi always found out sooner or later. But he could get away this once, couldn't he? It was just a cold at the most. He'd be back to normal by tomorrow.

"Well this time it really is nothing," Hiro said with an air of finality. "And I'd like to get upstairs before midnight."

"Well, good night then," Tadashi chuckled. "Love you, Otouto."

Hiro was near the top of the stairs by now. He sighed. "Yeah, yeah, love you too, Nii-chan." It was muttered just loud enough for Tadashi to hear.

Tadashi smiled and turned away. What was he ever gonna do with that kid?

* * *

Tadashi lay in bed, awake, trying to figure out _why_ he was awake. Something had just woken him up, he was sure of it. He glanced at the clock. 3:58 am.

A smothered cough sounded from the other side of the room. That was it! Wait...

The cough sounded again, this time harsher than the last, but still sounding stifled by a blanket or something of the sort.

Tadashi slowly rolled out of bed and tiptoed lightly to peer around the shoji screen that half separated his and Hiro's sides of the room. Hiro lay under a mound of blankets with his back to Tadashi. He was shaking slightly with suppressed coughs, and as Tadashi watched, another cough slipped past Hiro's lips and Hiro hastily tried to smother it in his pillow.

Tadashi took a step forward and Hiro rolled onto his back, turning his head toward his brother.

"Are you alright?" Tadashi asked.

"I'm fine, Tadashi. Go back to sleep."

Tadashi just chuckled and moved forward. "Are you sure about that?" He sat on the edge of his brother's bed.

"That I'm fine? Course I am. Why wouldn't I -_cough_\- be?"

Tadashi took a closer look at his little brother and his brow furrowed. Sweat shone on the boy's brow, yet he was shivering under his comforter.

Tadashi put his hand on Hiro's forehead and gasped. "Hiro! You're running a high fever! Why didn't you tell me you felt sick?"

"I didn't- I _don't_ feel sick. I'm-"

"If you say you're fine one more time, I'll - well, I don't know what I'll do," Tadashi sighed. "But I do know that I'm going to go get a thermometer and you'd better stay right there."

Hiro rolled his eyes at him but then broke into a coughing fit. Tadashi winced in sympathy as he headed down the stairs.

When Tadashi got back a minute later, thermometer and a glass of water in his hand, Hiro lay on his side, breathing heavily. His throat sounded raspy and dry.

Tadashi helped his younger brother into a sitting position, adding a pillow or two to the one behind his back. "Here, drink this." Tadashi handed him the cup.

Hiro drank without protest. Tadashi ran a hand through his brother's hair as Hiro drained the cup. When Hiro was finished, he handed the cup back to Tadashi with a weak "Thanks."

Tadashi nodded and set the cup on Hiro's desk before turning back to his brother. "Now put this in your mouth." He held the thermometer up to Hiro's lips.

"Tadashiii," Hiro whined. Tadashi took the excuse to slip it in and Hiro nearly choked. "I'n _not_ _thick_," Hiro tried to speak around the thermometer under his tongue.

"You just keep telling yourself that, buddy," Tadashi smiled and shook his head at his younger brother's stubbornness. "Maybe one of these days it'll be true, but for now-" The thermometer beeped and Tadashi slipped it out of Hiro's mouth, voice trailing off as he read the numbers displayed on the instrument.

"102.6"

Tadashi sighed and looked at his younger brother. "Just how long have you been feeling sick?"

"I- I don't know. Since yesterday, maybe?" Hiro shrugged up at him, and then doubled over in another coughing fit.

Worried, Tadashi adjusted his position to be sitting next to Hiro, against the headboard, instead of facing him. Slipping his legs under the covers, Tadashi put one arm around his little brother, pulling him close, as the other hand went up to card through Hiro's hair. Hiro rested his head on Tadashi's chest as his body was racked with coughs. They went on and on, and when they were finally over, Hiro was left shaking and gasping for breath. He gave a low groan and curled up tighter against Tadashi.

Tadashi let a few moments pass before speaking softly. "Hiro, how much sleep have you gotten tonight?"

A few more moments passed before Hiro mumbled in reply, as if he didn't quite want Tadashi to hear, "Hardly any."

"Do you think it would help if I slept with you for the rest of the night?" Tadashi asked.

There was an even longer pause.

Finally Hiro spoke wearily. "Tadashi, I'm too old for this."

"That's not what I asked."

Yet again Hiro paused before mumbling reluctantly, "Maybe. I don't know."

Tadashi figured that was as close to "yes" as it was going to get. Carefully sitting up straighter, he removed the extra pillows from behind them and then gently lay down, Hiro's head still on his chest. Hiro subconsciously snuggled in closer as Tadashi pulled the covers over themselves. Then he wrapped his other arm around his little brother and gently kissed his forehead. "Good night, Otouto," he whispered. There was no response. Hiro was already asleep.

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**A/N: What do you think? Again, this is my first time doing this, so constructive criticism is appreciated, as long as you're nice about it. Please review! I'll update soon if y'all like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you, thank you for reviewing! Taking two minutes to tell me what you think makes my day!**

**So, this chapter is a kind-of in-between story that I got carried away on... XD Most of it is a flashback (the part in italics), but I'll get back to the main story next chapter!**

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Tadashi slowly opened his eyes. It took him a minute to figure out where he was - the ceiling looked a little weird. Then he felt the warm weight half on top of him and the soft, thick hair under his chin. He lifted his head slightly and pressed his lips to the mop of dark hair.

It wasn't very bright in the room, the sun blocked out by the snow still falling heavily outside, so it was hard to tell how late it was. Tadashi glanced around at the clock. 9:43. Yup, they had slept in. Thank goodness it was a Saturday.

He debated whether he should get up and risk waking Hiro up, or just lie there and enjoy the moment. Well, what did he need to do if he got up, anyway? His brain responded with far too many options - from making breakfast to cleaning to homework, and a million miscellaneous tasks in between.

_Shut up_, he told his brain.

Well, he would try to get up and if- Hiro whimpered slightly and clenched his fist tighter in Tadashi's shirt. That was what he'd thought. It looked like he was staying in bed - for a little while longer, anyway.

Tadashi ran his fingers through his brother's hair and took a closer look at him. Hiro's forehead shone with sweat, yet he shivered against Tadashi. His breathing was rapid and shallow, and Tadashi could hear the air rasping in his throat. Maybe Tadashi should see about taking him to the doctor later. He wondered how long Hiro had really been feeling off. You didn't just get like this overnight.

Tadashi's mind drifted off to the last time he'd held Hiro like this. It happened less and less frequently as they grew older, and Tadashi realized he missed it. The last time was nearly two years ago...

_Tadashi looked up from his homework as his brother trudged into the room, dumping his backpack on the floor and throwing himself down on his bed._

_"Hey, Hiro. How was school?" Tadashi asked. There was no response._

_Tadashi stood and moved toward his brother's bed. "Hiro?"_

_The boy was lying facedown on top of the covers, head buried in his arms._

_"Hiro, are you alright?" Tadashi sat on the edge of the bed, concerned._

_"I'm _fine_." The voice was muffled and choked off in... was that a sob?_

_Tadashi sat there, shocked. He didn't know what to do. Hiro _never_ cried._

_The older boy placed a hand on his brother's back and rubbed softly. "You know I'm here if you want to talk about it, right?" Tadashi said after a minute._

_Hiro was shaking slightly. He didn't answer and Tadashi just sat there for a long while, rubbing a hand across his brother's back._

_At long last Hiro lifted his head, looking up at Tadashi through the thick bangs that fell across his eyes. There were tear tracks on his cheeks and... Tadashi gasped, taking his brother's face in his hands to tilt it upwards. _

_"Hiro..." Gently, Tadashi ran his thumb over Hiro's cheekbone, where a large purple bruise was forming._

_"Who did this to you?" The older boy asked, angered._

_Hiro looked down, not meeting Tadashi's eye. "I... I just... ran into a wall. It was an accident."_

_Tadashi just sighed and looked at Hiro. "Seriously? You're still trying excuses like that on me?"_

_"It's true-" Hiro started defensively, but Tadashi cut him off gently._

_"It's not true. Who did this to you?"_

_Hiro looked down again, playing with a thread from one of his blankets. "Just some jerks at school," he finally replied._

_"What did they do?"_

_"It's nothing, okay? Just drop it!"_

_Tadashi looked at his brother for a long moment and then sighed again._

_"If that was all, you wouldn't be this upset," Tadashi said, trying to suppress the anger he felt towards those _jerks_ who were always picking on his little brother. "What else is wrong?"_

_"Nothing," Hiro muttered._

_"Hiro!"_

_"Fine! My foot hurts! Are you happy now?"_

_Tadashi sighed yet again. "Come here."_

_He helped Hiro sit up with his legs over the edge of the bed. As he did, he noticed several more small bruises and scrapes on Hiro's arms and legs but decided not to comment._

_"Which foot?"_

_"My right," Hiro mumbled._

_Tadashi took the appendage in his hands and gently slipped off Hiro's shoe, not missing Hiro's grimace of pain. Pulling off the sock as well, Tadashi gasped at the sight that greeted him. Hiro's ankle was swollen and bruised rather badly. "You _sprained_ it? What happened?" A sudden revelation occurred to Tadashi. "Wait, you walked _home_ on this? What were you _thinking?_ You _know_ I would have picked you up if you had just asked me! Why didn't you call?"_

_"_Tadashi!_" Hiro cut him off. "See, this is why I don't like to tell you stuff. You make a huge fuss over nothing!"_

_"_This_ isn't nothing!" Tadashi said. But then he decided to back off._

_"I'm sorry, Hiro. I just... I worry sometimes. And I really care about you. I don't like to see you hurt."_

_Hiro just looked down at his hands, not knowing what to say._

_After a moment, Tadashi stood up with a sigh. "Well, we'd better get some ice on that thing before it swells to the size of an elephant."_

_Hiro started to stand obligingly, but Tadashi pushed him back down. "Oh no, you don't. Stay right here and I'll be back in a minute."_

_When Tadashi got back upstairs, a plastic bag full of ice and water wrapped in a towel in his hand, Hiro was still sitting on the edge of the bed, but had pulled up his shirt and was looking at his stomach. When he heard Tadashi, Hiro dropped the shirt quickly and glanced up at Tadashi with a slightly guilty look on his face._

_"What is it?" Tadashi asked, reaching forward to pull up his brother's shirt before Hiro could stop him. He got a glimpse of a large, ugly bruise spread across Hiro's side before the boy shoved the shirt back down with a "_Hey!_"_

_"_Hiro!_" Tadashi said. "You've got to tell me about stuff like this! You need help! You can't just ignore it and hope it goes away! You're not going to get any better unless you let someone help you! When are you going to tell me everything that happened?"_

_"Like you care anyway."_

_Tadashi had taken another breath to continue his rant, but Hiro's mumble effectively shut him up._

_"You... you think I don't care about you?" Tadashi was shocked. What had happened to his precious otouto?_

_"Why would you?" Hiro asked, looking up at Tadashi with pain in his eyes. "I'm a freak. I'm too smart for my own good. Nobody cares about me, why would you?" His voice was rising and his breath was coming in shorter gasps. "Nobody likes me, not even people I thought were my _friends!_ Why would you be any different? I'm just a worthless _freak!_" Hiro's voice broke and he began to sob. Tadashi dropped the bag of ice and scooped Hiro into a hug. They sat like that for a long time as Hiro sobbed and Tadashi rocked him back and forth and whispered soothing words into his hair- "It's alright. It's okay. I love you, Otouto, and nothing will ever change that. I love you. I love you so much. You are perfect just the way you are. You are kind. You are caring. You are brave. You are strong. You are creative. You mean the world to me. I could never live without you. I love you so much. You are enough, and don't ever let anyone tell you that you aren't." _

_Sometime in the middle of this they moved to the head of the bed, and Tadashi lay there with Hiro's head on his chest, tears soaking his shirt as Hiro's sobs quieted and his breathing calmed. Then Tadashi just stroked his hand through Hiro's hair and hummed a soft melody until Hiro's breaths evened out altogether. And then he was asleep._

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**A/N: Whew! It takes a lot longer to write this than I thought! Fyi, the rest of my updates probably won't be this fast.**

**Anyway, what do you think? It didn't go exactly the way I'd planned... I meant for Hiro to tell Tadashi what actually happened (he wouldn't get that upset over just a beating), but maybe I'll mention it next chapter. Also, I didn't want to end it right there, but I couldn't really find a good ending spot soon after this. So thus it ends...**

**Last note: I'm not sure if I'm going to put Baymax in the story or not. What do y'all want? I love him, but he's hard to write... And I'm pretty much just focusing on the brothers- it's just a fluffy story. And if y'all have any ideas for this story, please tell me! I have a very basic idea of what I want to happen, but not a whole lot. So review!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, so first off I want to say, I think this is the last chapter I'm gonna do. It's not the end of the story or anything- I did have ideas for the rest of the story (which I can tell you if you want), but for personal reasons, I'm not going to write any more.**

**With that said, shoutout to TOIJIPE, All Things Animated, and Guest for reviewing; TOIJIPE for following; and AngetianPrincess18 for favoriting! Thank you guys so much! Also thanks to the _236_ people who viewed it- I never thought that many people would see my story in the maybe two weeks that this story's been up!**

**And without further ado, the chapter:**

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Tadashi lay in bed, holding his little brother, thinking back on that day when Hiro had come home beat up and crying. He had near forgotten about that incident. Before that day, Tadashi had known that Hiro had been going through some bullying, and he thought he had been doing everything he could to help, but apparently it was much worse than he'd thought. To have Hiro say such things about himself- did he really feel that worthless?

When Hiro had woken up later on that day, Tadashi had helped him wrap his ankle finally, put some ice on it, and prop it up on a pillow. Hiro hadn't been happy with Tadashi's orders to stay off of it for at least a week, but luckily Hiro had an old pair of crutches that still fit him- one of the benefits of having hardly grown at all since he was ten.

Tadashi eventually got the story of what had happened that day out of Hiro, though he still suspected his brother had spared him some details.

Apparently Hiro had discovered that a kid he had been hanging out with for about a month had only been friendly so that Hiro could help him with a tough assignment. Tadashi remembered Hiro talking enthusiastically about his new friend- one who was even willing to hang out with him outside of school hours. It turned out the boy had been failing the class, and sucking up to Hiro seemed to be one of the only ways to improve his grade. Hiro had not only helped him with the final project that was due that month, but with numerous other homework assignments. And as soon as the boy didn't need Hiro anymore, he had turned on him, and that had hurt much worse than the beating Hiro had received that day at the hands of him and some of his friends.

Tadashi sighed and combed his fingers through his little brother's hair. He was so glad Hiro had finally agreed to go to college- where not everyone seemed to be jerks- and had met some _real_ friends there. Granted, they had been Tadashi's friends first, but they loved Hiro almost as much as Tadashi did, and that was saying something.

Tadashi glanced at the clock again. It was after 10 now and he should probably get up. Moving slowly and carefully, he extracted himself from underneath his brother, planting a kiss on his forehead when Hiro shifted and mumbled something in his sleep.

Tadashi went downstairs and got a bowl of cereal for his breakfast, then heated up a can of soup to give Hiro when he woke up. Walking back up the stairs with a bowl in each hand, Tadashi carefully set Hiro's bowl on his desk and then walked around the bed to look out the window as he took a spoonful of cereal. It was still snowing heavily. Everything was covered in nearly a foot of thick white powder, and the flakes rushing past the window showed no signs of letting up. Brow furrowed, Tadashi turned his back on the scene outside to observe his brother. Hiro didn't look any better than he had earlier, his breathing shallow and his skin clammy. He was shivering despite the thick blankets he lay under. It was more apparent than ever that Hiro needed to see a doctor, but that was going to be nearly impossible if this storm kept up for much longer.

Setting his cereal down, Tadashi walked forward and felt his brother's forehead. Hiro's fever had gone up. Worried, he turned to get the thermometer again, but was stopped by a weak voice behind him.

"Ta... Tadashi?"

Tadashi turned quickly back to his brother and knelt at Hiro's side. "Hiro? I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

Hiro slowly shook his head on his pillow and then turned away to cough into his fist. It was a terrible, hacking cough that jerked his whole body.

"You don't sound so good," Tadashi said concernedly, running his fingers through his brother's hair as Hiro struggled to get his breath back. "Would you like me to get you a glass of water?"

Hiro nodded weakly and Tadashi jumped up to get it for him.

When Tadashi got back upstairs, glass in hand, Hiro was pushing himself into a sitting position with weak arms. Tadashi hurried forward to assist his brother and prop a pillow up behind him. Then he handed Hiro the glass, which Hiro drank from greedily.

When Hiro was finished, Tadashi spoke. "How are you feeling?"

Hiro shrugged weakly. "I'm all right. It's just a little cold. I'll be back to normal in no time." But his voice betrayed him. It was raspy and quiet, his breathing labored.

"You should know better than that." Tadashi raised an eyebrow. "I think I'd better let Baymax scan you and see what he says."

"No!" Hiro shot upright. "Come on, Tadashi! I'm fine! Seriously! It's _just_ a _cold_-" He broke down in another fit of coughing.

"Yeah," Tadashi pursed his lips in slight amusement at his brother, turning toward his side of the room. "Baymax, ow."

* * *

Pneumonia.

Hiro had bacterial pneumonia.

_What am I gonna do Hiro needs antibiotics and Aunt Cass is gone and I can't get to the doctor and Baymax doesn't have what Hiro needs and what if Hiro can't breathe I don't have the equipment what if the snow lasts too long what if his fever gets too high what if what if what if-_

"Tadashi." Hiro's voice was firm despite the sickness ravaging his lungs. "Stop panicking."

"What?" Tadashi stared at his brother in surprise, shocked out of his mental rant. "I- I'm not panicking."

"Yes you are, I can see it, now calm down. I'll be _fine_. So it's pneumonia, so what? Baymax will take care of me and I'll be better in no time."

"Recovery time for pneumonia," Baymax held up a finger, "can be between one week and two months. I would advise resting and drinking plenty of fluids. Bacterial pneumonia also requires antibiotics. I would advise visiting a doctor as soon as possible."

"See, Hiro?" Tadashi gestured at the robot. "You need to see a doctor. Baymax doesn't have antibiotics. We need a prescription, but we can't even get to the pharmacy a few blocks away, much less to the hospital." Tadashi was pacing agitatedly. He made his way over to the window and looked out, leaning on his knuckles on the windowsill. "All this snow... They won't plow until it stops, but who knows how long that'll take?"

"Tadashi." Hiro's voice made its way once again to Tadashi's ears and he turned to look at his younger brother. "Breathe." Hiro swept his hand up and down as he inhaled and exhaled in example.

Tadashi stared for a second and then gave a chuckle, which quickly turned into a full-on laugh. Hiro just deadpan raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth quirking upward.

"Oh," Tadashi chuckled, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Sorry, Hiro. I guess I got a bit carried away."

"Yeah," Hiro nodded. "It's not often _I_ have to calm _you_ down."

Tadashi shook his head, still chuckling, and ruffled his brother's hair. "But I _am_ a little worried about getting you to the hospital. Maybe we should watch the news and see what they say about the snow..." Tadashi wandered off, once again distracted, and Hiro rolled his eyes and shrugged at Baymax. Baymax blinked in what could have been amusement.

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**A/N: Once again, thanks so much for reading this! Sorry it's a little short and sorry I won't be writing any more, but I can tell y'all my general outline for the rest of the story if you want - just review! If anyone really wants to pick up my story or use any of my ideas, you can, just let me know.**

**Please review and tell me what you think, what you liked and didn't like, and what I could change to make it better. Also if you're interested in hearing my vague plans for the rest of the story.**

**Thanks!**


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